So my daily driven SOHC isnt really cutting it as far as power and its a tired ole motor with roughly 160K on it. Burns a bit of oil but still runs and drives fine.

However by springtime I need to have a decent power plant that will help me have a bit more fun with this daily / track / drift car.

Im planning on picking up some coilovers in the upcoming weeks, already picked up a Z32 LSD thats gotta get put in, got some Z32 calipers/rotors sitting around, will be ordering some energy suspension bushings etc. Only thing the car will really lack will be power.

I dont need anything monsterous as my S14 with the KA-T will be me high horsepower cruiser / drag / fun car. I just need a bit more kick for my daily and some power to kick the rear end out.

So in a nutshell I was debating on the options and rebuilding my spare SOHC + turbocharging it will run a decent amount of the green $$$. I know that the RB20DET motors are fairly cheap, easy to install and will put out decent enough power for roughly the same cost as an SR swap.

So those of you that have them / have driven / know someone that has one:

Thats $1600 for a 2.0 L I6 with 200 hp roughly the same as an SR. Add a few bucks for a recalibrated tach and your done.

An SR on the other hand will run around the same or a bit more and will have roughly the same amount of power out of the box so to speak.

Thats the only reason why I am looking into it. That and it seems like an interesting swap. Even though for a while I was against the idea since im very much for turbocharging the KA. If I had a lot more cash on me id rock an LS1. That to me is the best swap an S-chassis can get.

so you're just going to buy some junkyard motor and throw it in without freshening it up at all? thats the worst idea ive ever heard.

and dont forget you'll need a fuel pump, radiator, fans, hoses, front mount, DOHC power steering lines and resevior, not to mention all the other shit you SHOULD get when prepping a motor thats been sitting in a junkyard for who knows how long.

As far as fuel system its a piece of cake, I can get a walbro for $70 all day long and its 2 wires to splice. Radiator and fans and hoses id have to upgrade regardless of engine. And the DOHC power steering lines and radiator I have laying around my pile of 240 parts.

either way its all a few bucks extra that would cost me regardless of engine that I am putting in.

I am merely trying to compare whats more cost effective and what gives the better bang for the buck.

And I seen your post. I am not interested in an SR, if I was gonna spend that much on an SR, I might as well buy a smashed up 98+ Camaro off an auction and do an LS1 swap. It will run about as much as an SR20 swap with a few bolt ons.

Im merely looking to get something that is comparable to the power I can expect from a turbo kit on a KA. I can piece one together anytime of the day and I have had experience with many KATs. I just wanted to try out something different.

240sxguy wrote:I am of the opinion that there is no reason to install an RB20det. Either 25 or larger, or SR20DET.

Saying the cost is the same is definitely a stretch IMO.

Reliability is just as good as any other proper swap.

Owning a 25, I can't imagine a smaller motor.

Evan

I get what your saying. But im not looking for mad power. If I was to spend the money on an RB25 or 26 engine id rather drop the cash on a V8. Stable power band, low end torque with no need for fancy fuel management or upgraded turbos. Not to mention super fitment.

Im just looking for an alternative to a turbo kit. Otherwise I might as well take my spare SOHC, replace the headgasket with a nice MLS one, throw in some ARP head studs, possibly better pistons, fresh gaskets, some injectors, a wally, a Stanza ECU, N60 MAF, and rock a nice T28 or small t3/t4 turbo setup with a cheap FMIC and call it a day.

If your master plan is LS? or whatever why don't you just wait and do the swap you want to begin with? Always cheaper in the long run. If you can do it for the price of an SR swap, I would LOVE To see you do it.

On the other hand if your goal isn't "mad power" why are you even doing a swap? Isn't the KAT capable of your hp goal fairly easily?

If your master plan is LS? or whatever why don't you just wait and do the swap you want to begin with? Always cheaper in the long run. If you can do it for the price of an SR swap, I would LOVE To see you do it.

On the other hand if your goal isn't "mad power" why are you even doing a swap? Isn't the KAT capable of your hp goal fairly easily?

Evan

I have a 95 240SX with a KA-T. This is for my 89 SOHC 5spd daily driven coupe. And yes its more then capable. but I wanted to c if I can do it for about the price of a turbo kit. Since the motor isnt in the best shape I would have to rebuild it and then put a kit on it, which will run more then the price of swap.

# how much did it cost you to install itMy RB20 I did sort of right and threw on a few mods at the same time. I think it cost maybe 4000-5000 all said and done.

# what parts did you useI got a complete motorset. Used the R32 crossmember and stock KA driveshaft. For performance mods I had a turbo upgrade, custom turbo adapter/FMIC/exhaust/intake, injectors, piggyback, and clutch.

# how do you like it?It was fun. Nothing astounding, but it was pretty quick and I was a kind of poor college kid so I was happy with what I had.

# hows the reliability factor?Fair. As good as you can expect with most used JDM engines honestly. Biggest problem was replacement parts were a little hard to find and expensive once you found em.

# was it worth the time/ effort etc. Honestly no. I could have done the same thing with less effort and money had I done a KA or something. Part of my reasoning at the time was that it was different (which it was years ago).

If you go with an RB20 I think the following parts are all left out of your list and are a must have:- Fuel pump- Clutch- FMIC & IC Pipes- Custom Exhaust- New timing set- New hoses and belts

OP it sounds like you are confused about the true cost of a swap, no matter what engine (sr, rb, LSx)... Sounds like you think all 3 are much less than the true cost. Having a pretty good amount of experience with RBs (owned a 20 and 26), along with friends that have owned LSx and SR swaps... they all cost much more than what you are quoting to do it correctly.

Having said that this is my personal thoughts (keep in mind again I have owned a 20 and a 26)

low end power/cost best value: KA-T is my first choice, then RB20 secondMid end power/cost best value: RB25 + mods, second choice SR + modsHigh end power/cost best value: LSx with light mods, second choice RB26 + light mods.

All the prices you just quoted are way above what I get my parts for or for that matter many of the parts priced way more then what I would even pay in the first place.

Also, just to clear things up, ive been in the game for along time. Ive had my first 240 since 2003 and that was back when I wanted an SR. Ive had a KA-T for 3 years now. This is just an option for my daily driven S13, which was a $300 car that i bought with a blown head gasket off that one for sale thread on Chicago Area 240.

As far as labor I do everything myself or with the help of a few people so labor is no factor. I also tend to buy used parts as you get better value out of them.

I get parts dirt cheap. I just picked up a Z32 MAF with pigtail for $25. Heres how I would price out your list dabs:

xDABSx wrote:Good for you I was talking about quality parts tho.And since you know so much why even start a thread

I get what your saying, quality parts cost, but not all "quality parts" are worth the price, nor are they as bad ass as they seem. HKS is a perfect example of how they take regular off the shelf Garrett turbos, add a HKS sign, polish the compressor housing and sell it with roughly a 600% markup.

Same case with any Japanese brand injectors, which will run roughly 2x the price of an equivalent domestically made injector. Exhaust systems for turbo cars are restrictive and are only needed for sound control, hence why a good resonator and decent muffler is all thats needed and the rest can be custom piping.

Im not trying to come off as a dick, but all I cared to know was what people thought about their RB20 motors from their personal experience and here I am getting a bunch of people trying to sell me on an SR swap, which I wouldnt do because id rather rebuild a KA and turbo it if I was going to go the 4 cylinder route. LS motor swaps on the other hand will run pretty highly but how much you get your motor and trans for is what tips the scales. I have access to crashed cars from auctions and that makes it that much cheaper rather then hunting one down on the forums or on Ebay. But im not gonna turn this into an LS swap thread. But if i had a lot of extra money laying around thats the route I would take. I might eventually do that on my S14.

All im saying is that an RB20DET is about as complicated to swap as an SR, cost a bit less intiially since the RB20 go for at least a $1000 less then a decent SR and provide a cast iron block with bucket lifters and 2 extra cylinders. That alone is a selling point over an SR. Granted the SR has a much bigger market for both performance parts used and new as well as OEM replacement parts. But im not looking to build a crazy sick engine. Im looking for a ballsy stock motor with a few bolt ons that will cost about as much as KA-T. Only drawbacks to the RB that im seeing is the difficulty with replacement parts and the fact thats its an older engine. Other then that it seems like a dooable swap.

I guess the next few months will tell. I still have to get some coilovers and a few suspension components before I can dish out the money on an engine. In the mean time my buddy is gonna boost his SOHC and ill see how that drives. Maybe ill change my mind. Who knows.

But those with RB20s please keep going. I appreciate all the input and information.

Well the good thing about SOHCs is that they are easy to work on, plentiful and cheap parts, low compression already, and cant go wrong with 2.4 L of displacement. A while back Jordan Gladman did a pretty sick setup on a high mileage SOHC and it held up awesome!